


Return The Favour

by AI07



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Battle of Azanulbizar, Flashback, Friendship, Gen, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, I'll Take Care Of You, Iglishmêk, Khuzdul, Tolkien's Timeline Is Quite A Puzzle To Figure Out, Young!Bifur, Young!Óin, present day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 08:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1598834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AI07/pseuds/AI07
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Bifur received his near-fatal injury at the Battle of Azanulbizar, a young healer made it his priority to take care of him at all costs.</p><p>Years later, after the Company's encounter with the Goblins and Azog, Bifur decides to return the favour.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Return The Favour

**Author's Note:**

  * For [badskippy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/badskippy/gifts).



He woke up.

Bleary dark eyes gazed up at the white ceiling of a canopy, or was it a tent? A dull pain throbbed away in his bandaged head, which felt so heavy, as if it were full of lead. His neck felt uncomfortably stiff, even though – judging from the softness – it was resting against a pillow. His body ached somewhat as he made small movements, which were restricted due to the light blanket – more of a sheet, really – weighing down on him.

Breathing in deeply, he sat up. Too quickly. A groan escaped past his lips. The throbbing pain worsened as the blood rushed to his head, causing his vision to blur. He bent his head, breathing heavily and feeling incredibly dizzy …

Suddenly, he felt something – a hand? – press against his shoulder, gently pushing him down back into the bed. Resting once more against the pillow, he closed his eyes and waited for both the dizziness and the infernal throbbing to subside.

When Bifur opened his eyes, he could see a Dwarf standing over him, looking down at him. Auburn hair, braided into a long plait, hung over his shoulder. His beard, like his own, was not yet full, given his young age, although it also had one or two plaits braided into it. The nose was sharp, but the brown eyes were soft, full of kindness and concern. The mouth was curved into a smile.

“Lie still,” he said softly, touching Bifur's shoulder with a gloved hand. “You've been lyin' unconscious in that bed for days now. Any sudden movements will make you feel ill, to be sure.”

Bifur opened his mouth to speak, but no words come out. He tried again, but no words were to be heard. He looked up at the healer – for he was certain that's what he was – with worried eyes. The healer sighed.

“I'm afraid the extent of your head injury has hindered your ability to speak for a while,” he said.

Another small smile. “Given time, however, I'm certain you will be able to speak again.”

Slowly, Bifur lifted his hands from underneath the covers, under the hawk-like gaze of the healer.

“ _How long?_ ” he signed with obvious difficulty. His arms felt weak, numb with lack of strength. The other Dwarf reached out, pushing them down.

“I'm not sure,” he answered. “Days, weeks, who can say? But I'm sure you'll be speakin' in no time. If you can survive an Orc axe being knocked into your head, you can do anythin'.”

Bifur appreciated his honesty. Still, he cannot help but feel a bit saddened. The Dwarf had joined his kin to fight and reclaim Moria, and what did he have to show for it? A head injury, perhaps untreatable, loss of speech and damaged pride. How else could he feel but doleful?

It must have shown in his face, however, for the healer added, “Don't you fret. There are others like you who are more or less in the same boat. Others … weren't so lucky, despite our efforts to save them.”

For a moment, a haggard look came upon the young Dwarf's face, making him look older than he really was. And in that moment, Bifur caught a glimpse of the tiredness, the sadness and the guilt that consumed the healer, who must have worked himself to the bone in many a desperate attempt to save the lives of others like him, only for his efforts to come to nothing.

He wanted to say something, a comforting word, but his brain would not permit it.

Seconds later, the face cleared up, and the healer smiled down at him once more. “Look at me, gabbin' away when your eyes can barely stay open. A few more hours of rest will do you some good, then you can have somethin' to eat and drink and I can change your bandages.”

Bifur raised his hands in protest. He did not want to be left alone; for a moment, he forgot that there were others in worse-off conditions who needed attention. “ _I've had enough rest, I think –_ ”

The healer gently pushed his hands down.

“Close your eyes,” he whispered. “Rest for at least another hour or so.”

Bifur stared at him. “ _You will wake me up?_ ”

“I will wake you up.”

“ _You promise?_ ”

“I give you my word,” he promised.

“ _Then you can rest, too._ ”

A statement, rather than a question.

The healer stared at Bifur, and then, with a wry smile, he patted his hands. “We'll see, after I've seen to everyone else. Now, could you stop bein' stubborn and close your eyes?”

Bifur did as he was told. Settling into a better position, the Dwarf allowed himself to succumb to the grips of sleep.

As he drifted away, the soothing voice of the healer, who covered him with the blanket, murmured, “I'll take care of you, if you'll let me.”

* * *

Bifur watched with a weary eye as Óin traipsed past him once more, once again checking on his companions as they slept. He watched as the healer leaned down to have yet another look at Thorin, who was deep in slumber. The dark-haired Dwarf's wrist and his waist were thickly bandaged. Satisfied, but not quite, Óin moved onto the brothers Ri, clearly suppressing a yawn.

The axe-embedded Dwarf sighed to himself. Ever since the Company had descended from the Carrock and set up camp, the healer went straight into work, bandaging and applying ointments and checking bruises and stopping bleeding cuts … it went on. So busy was he, that he did not notice the cut on his own arm until Bifur pointed it out. Óin took care of it, though in, what Bifur thought was, a very careless manner.

After all, the grey-haired Dwarf believed that the others needed to be seen to before he could check himself.

He worked tirelessly on his patients, making sure that all the bandages were wrapped tightly, the cuts had finally stopped bleeding, the bruises were not aching, everyone had enough ointments … and so on. Not even Bilbo could escape Óin's hawk-like gaze, and the Hobbit had a bit of a hard time convincing the partially deaf healer that he would be alright. Still, every time he passed him, Óin looked at him and his scraped cheek repeatedly with a sharp yet tired eye. Then, once he was sure that Bilbo was not in any difficulties, he moved onto Fíli and Kíli.

Bifur sighed again. Even when every one had been seen to and had long settled down to sleep, Óin remained awake, continuously walking around the camp in a circle and repeatedly running his eyes over his sleeping companions and their injuries. Each time he passed the axe-embedded Dwarf, his steps became slower, his brown eyes were blinking more and more in a bid to stay open, and each attempt to hide the haggard expression on his face failed.

This time around, however, Bifur was not going to let him pass.

When Óin was convinced that Glóin's leg was not going to trouble his brother as he slept and moved on, Bifur sat up, grabbing the healer's wrist as he approached. Pulling him nearer, he looked up at the other Dwarf and signed with his other hand, “ _I think it's time you go to sleep, Óin._ ”

“I can't go to sleep until I've checked on the others, Bifur,” Óin replied wearily, trying to pull back his hand, but Bifur held on. Mildly annoyed, he added, “I need to make sure that they're alright.”

“ _The others are fine,_ ” the other Dwarf signed. “ _You've already made sure of that. You've checked them enough times – now you must rest._ ”

“And supposin' one of them needs my help?” the healer retorted. “I have to be awake then to take care of them. Let go of me.”

“ _You need to take yourself first, otherwise how are you going to take care of the others?_ ” signed Bifur furiously. “ _You're so busy checking on everyone else that you have forgotten to pay attention to yourself. You haven't slept since we got caught by the Goblins, and you haven't exactly been taking care of yourself since we were attacked by Azog. It's obvious that you are exhausted. What use is a healer who is practically on the brink of collapsing? If you go on like this, you'll just end up hurting yourself, and then you'll won't be of much help, I can tell you right now._ ”

When Óin did not reply, Bifur stood up, loosening his grip on the healer's wrist. Slowly, he signed, “ _Please, Óin, take rest. If not for the rest of the night, at least sleep for an hour or so. You'll feel much better._ ”

The grey-haired Dwarf rubbed his eyes as he sighed in defeat. “Alright, Bifur, I shall take rest for a bit, if it pleases you.”

“ _Good,_ ” signed Bifur, altogether pleased with his victory.

“How do you know that I won't get up again if you happen to fall asleep before me?” asked Óin, with a small wry smile.

The axe-embedded Dwarf grinned. “ _That is why you will be lying beside me, where I shall keep an eye on you and make sure that you actually go to sleep._ ”

“Cheeky, stubborn rogue, you're worse than Nori,” the healer muttered.

Bifur still grinned, even as he sat back down, pulling Óin down with him. The healer, under the scrutiny of his friend, laid down on his back, using his satchel as an impromptu pillow.

“ _Now close your eyes,_ ” ordered Bifur.

Óin rolled them instead before glaring up at the other Dwarf. “Anything else, _Amad_?”

Bifur tugged on one of the healer's elaborate braids in a chastising yet playful manner before signing, “ _Close your eyes. That's all I ask._ ”

Óin sighed before he did as he was told. Closing his brown eyes, he breathed in deeply, fresh air filling his fatigued frame. Bifur watched him closely, like a mother watching her child, waiting for the moment until he finally fell asleep.

For a few seconds, Óin laid like that, breathing slowly, until his eyes shot open. He looked up at Bifur sharply.

“After two hours, will you wake me up?”

Bifur nodded.

“Do you promise that?”

The axe-embedded Dwarf nodded again, patting his gloved hand reassuringly.

Óin smiled. “ _Dôlzekh menu_ ,” he whispered, before closing his eyes once more.

Bifur smiled to himself, relieved that his friend did not see through his lie.

A minute or so later, the healer's body relaxed as he surrendered himself to the clutches of sleep. The tense, worn expression that dominated his face for the past few hours was gone at last. He looked now to be at ease and comfortable.

Very gently, Bifur wrapped his arms around Óin and drew him closer. The healer mumbled something incomprehensible before burrowing his head in Bifur's chest with a contented sigh.

The axe-embedded Dwarf smiled, twirling a piece of grey hair around his fingers. He had no intention of waking his friend up. Óin needed more than two hours of sleep, and he was going to get it. In the morning, the healer will surely have a few words to say about Bifur's deceit, but in the long run, a night's rest would do him the world of good.

 _After all, it's not like_ he _kept his promise the last time, and I ended up feeling much better._

_He still took care of me, though. Now, it's my turn to take care of him._

With that in mind, before he settled down to sleep, Bifur leaned in and, in Khuzdûl, whispered in the deaf, sleeping healer's ear the very same words Óin had spoken all those years ago:

“ _I'll take care of you, if you'll let me._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Amad - Mother.  
> Dôlzekh menu - Thank you.
> 
> This little story was inspired by a conversation I had with badskippy. So, badskippy, here's but a small gift. :)
> 
> I love these two Dwarves with all my heart and soul, be it as a pairing or as a friendship (they honestly need more love). I hoped you all enjoyed this story as much as I had writing it - there shall be more coming, as soon as I get on with "Scars Beyond The Blade" and "Matchmaker".
> 
> Comments/kudos are welcome!
> 
> *~AI07~* :)


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